Notebook for architectural work

[liabaasch]

Hello!

 

I am planning on buying a new laptop for architecture work like 2d drawing, 3d modeling using programs such as 3ds max, Rhino, Revit, Autocad..and Photoshop for post-production and photo editing. So I am looking for a notebook with good performance and good quality display. Rendering is Not that important to me.

My price range is 1000€ - 1500€ (to 1700€ if really worth it, but generally the lower the price - the better) I am not sure if I should go for a gaming or for a workstation laptop. Which one do you think would perform better for my type of work?

 

I am currently looking at:

 

Schenker XMG P505 PRO (Clevo P651SG) with Intel Core i7-4720HQ, GTX 965M 2048MB GDDR5 or GTX 970M 3072MB GDDR5; 7200 rpm - this laptop impressed me with its weight - 2.5 kg (and price - 1300€ with gtx 965m and 1400€ with gtx 970m) for that performance. What concerns me is the quality of the screen (I have read that the brightness is not very high) and the fact that I don't know much about this brand or the overall quality of its products.

 

Asus G751 - about the same specs as the XMG; What I don't like about it - it is much havier - 3.8 kg to 4.5 kg. I could get one with GTX 970M 3072MB or GTX 970M 4096MB. Does the vram play a role in my kind of work?

 

I am also considering Asus GL771JW (3.4 kg) - 7200 rpm; Asus G501JW (only 2 kg)/Asus G551JW - unfortunately both 5400 rpm;

all three come with GTX 960M 4096MB.

Do you think, the 7200 rpm and gtx 970m are worth the more weight and money?

 

another options would be:

 

Alienware 15 - i7-4710HQ , 7200 rpm, GTX 970M with 3GB GDDR5, (3.2 kg) (1450 euro)

 

what do you think about MSI?

 

or would a workstation laptop be a better choice? like for example:

 

Dell Precision M2800 - i7-4810MQ, AMD FirePro W4170M with 2GB GDDR5, (1600 euro)

 

Dell Precision M4800 - i7-4810MQ, AMD FirePro M5100 w/2GB GDDR5 or K1100M w/2GB GDDR5 (1500 euro)

 

Dell Precision M3800 - i7-4712HQ, Nvidia® Quadro® K1100M, w/ 2GB GDDR5 (1500 euro)

 

HP ZBook 17 G2 - i7-4710MQ, 2GB GDDR5 AMD FirePro M6100 (1400 euro)

 

(ThinkPad W541 - i7-4710MQ, K1100M w/2GB (1700 euro - would be a bit too much) )

 

or should I take a look at another laptop?

 

Thank you very much!

Edited June 16, 2015 by liabaasch

[Nikolaos M]

So, you'll need 17"+ screen with IPS panel, 16gb RAM, a good i7 of 3rd or 4th generation, a mgpu of any kind (since you'll only need it for viewport use), and a good combination of disk space= ssd+hdd, and all that with the lowest possible weight.

 

Here are some choices:

 

1. The cheap, light but probably too thin to keep temps at good levels: https://geizhals.at/acer-aspire-v-nitro-vn7-791g-70tw-nx-muqeg-008-a1238130.html?hloc=at

It has everything you want but it's an... Acer. Not top-notch brand imo. A big (+), its 3.0kg of wight which is very good for a 17"+ laptop.

 

2. The middle choice: https://geizhals.at/lenovo-ideapad-y70-70-touch-80du00d9ge-a1249468.html?hloc=at

It doesn't have a hdd but a 500gb ssd. You could use an external storage drive. 3.4Kg is fine for this screen size.

 

3. Top choice: https://geizhals.at/asus-rog-g751jt-t7005h-90nb06m1-m00120-a1186450.html?hloc=at

It's heavy alright, but it's going to run much cooler compared to other comercial laptops, like the ones above.

 

In conclusion, imo you can't have a light and thin laptop that runs cool at the same time. The ROGs are heavy but people here in the forum (DTolios, if I recall correctly) have stated that they are pretty cool due to their spacious and gaming oriented design.

Edited June 17, 2015 by nikolaosm

[liabaasch]

Thank you very much!

 

So you think I'd be better off with a gaming laptop rather than a mobile workstation? (I don't play any games.)

 

Does a mgpu of any kind mean a graphic card of any kind? (sorry, I am not very familiar with the terms.)

The graphic card should be responsible for the viewport performance or am I wrong?

 

So you think I should, by all means, get SSD? Also, would something like 1 TB + 128 GB SSD be enough? Or would an SSHD be of any use? Can I get only 1 TB and then upgrade it with SSD later on, if needed, or the other way around?

 

Considering the weight, I am thinking, I might be fine with a 15'' screen, but in terms of performance (or something else?) are the 17'' laptops that much better than the 15'', like, for instance, if we compare the 17'' Asus G751 (gtx 970m, 7200rpm) and the 15'' Asus G501/G551 (gtx 960m, 5400rpm/only SSD)?

 

Also, would GTX 960M, 4GB compared to GTX 960M, 2GB make any difference for me?

 

Looking at the Lenovo Y70 or the Acer Aspire V Nitro VN7, why not rather go for one of these? (all 15''):

 

https://geizhals.at/asus-rog-g501jw-cn030h-90nb0873-m02670-a1249395.html?hloc=at (2 kg!)

 

https://geizhals.at/asus-n551jw-cn096h-90nb08b1-m01170-a1246334.html?hloc=at (2.7 kg)

 

https://geizhals.at/asus-n551jw-cn093h-90nb08b1-m01140-a1246352.html?hloc=at (2.7 kg)

 

http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/notebooks/acer+notebooks/gaming/acer+aspire+vn7+591g+74j0 (2.4 kg)

 

But thinking of the future, the upradability to 32gb ram of Asus G751/771, Schenker XMG/Clevo/Sager, Alienware, MSI would be a benefit.

 

Could you tell me anything about Schenker XMG/Clevo/Sager, Alienware or MSI?

 

Thanks again!

[Nikolaos M]

Hi!

 

Weight is one important factor, but for architectural work a bigger screen size is better. That's why I insisted on 17,3" or bigger, with FHD and an IPS panel, and I thought you've really made up your mind about this basic decision, because all the laptops you mentioned were 17" wide, if I'm correct.

 

Mgpu= mobile gpu. Yes, any card that is made for mobile use like notebooks etc. For viewport use only, you shouldn't worry so much about Vram etc. 2gb would work fine, I think.

 

And yes, by all means, get an ssd whatever you choose. It's unthinkable to spend 1500-1700€ for a machine that lacks an ssd. It's the big factor that defines the difference between a slow and a fast computer nowadays. Cpu and RAM would have less impact in your system's responsiveness, or at least, the "feeling" of how fast it is in real use.

 

128gb ssds are not big enough in my opinion. 240/256 are a minimum, I think. The bigger you can afford, the better, even if that means no hdd. You can always use an external storage drive if you cannot combine both types of drives with adequate space. Or, you can always buy a laptop with no ssd and replace the dvd drive with an ssd (using an appropriate caddy).

 

As for the brands you mentioned, some of them don't seam familiar to me... I don't know more on that, but If I were you, I would choose something between Asus, Lenovo, HP and Dell. MSI and Acer would be the second choice for me. I hope someone else gives you better advice on that.

[liabaasch]

Thank you!

[liabaasch]

Just a few more questions: Would a Quadro K1100M graphic card or GTX 960M be a better choice for 2d cad and 3d modeling in 3ds max, Rhino, Revit, Autocad, etc..., Photoshop, as mentioned above? Would mid-range graphic cards like R9 M265X, Radeon HD 8790M or GT 750M be too weak? Also, is the graphic card or the ability of a laptop to take up to 32gb ram (rather than 16gb) more important? Thanks again!

Edited June 22, 2015 by liabaasch